1008 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
December 5. 1903. 
Readers' Competition—continued. 
against the newly dug soil. Again, should your ground be covered 
with weeds, you can skim them off into the trench and bury 
them to a greater depth than could be done with a small trench. 
When turning the spits over keep them well on the top of the 
dug soil, as it is much easier to knock them down towards the 
trench than to push them over on to the dug soil. 
Some when digging mark every spit before taking it up, the 
same as they do when digging Celery trenches, but this I say is 
a complete waste of time and labour. 
If ground is treated in the way described above I can safely 
state from experience that nothing but good crops will be the 
result. 
With the Editor’s permission I will contribute a short article 
on “ Trenching ” at a future date. [Please do.-— Ed.] 
Partridge Green, Sussex. R. Rowles. 
Bouvardias. 
Now that the queen of autumn flowers (the Chrysanthemum) 
is on the wane, after its short but glorious reign, we must turn 
our attention to other -winter-flowering subjects, in order to regu¬ 
larly keep a successional and interesting display of bloom. 
A good batch of Bouvardias, when well grown, never fails to 
command the general appreciation of all who love flowers at this 
season. They are almost indispensable for cut flowers, and are 
admirably adapted for buttonholes or bouquets, for which pur¬ 
pose their purity of colours and form of flowers befit them. 
I believe they are natives of Mexico, and, like many other 
subjects of that climate, are very accommodating to almost any 
growing temperature. They will be found to succeed well in 
a cold frame during the summer months, or cool greenhouse. 
In my opinion an intermediate temperature, is preferable, as it 
enables them to produce the most bloom smocessionally. When 
wintered in an intermediate house, with a temperature ranging 
from 50deg. to 60deg., they will make new growth, which even¬ 
tually yields flowers much more readily than if subjected to 
cooler conditions. 
After their flowering season the plants should be brought to 
a state of rest by a reduction of water and temperature, admitting 
air freely on all favourable occasions, which will assist the ripen¬ 
ing of the wood. As early as possible in spring the old plants 
should be brought into a wanner temperature, and induced to 
break into new growths, previously pruning well back, leaving 
about two, or three eyes on the new wood. 
They may be well syringed and moist surroundings main¬ 
tained, but water very carefully and sparingly until the plants 
are growing freely. 
As soon as the shoots are long enough they may be taken as 
cuttings and inserted round the edges of small pots, filled 
moderately firm witli a mixture of loam, sand, and leaf-soil in 
ex^cJ parts. Plunge the pots into gentle bottom heat, and keep 
close in a propagating case until well rooted, when, after a 
gradual hardening off, they may be potted singly into 60’s. 
When root action has commenced again, remove to a position 
near the glass, but shade during hot sun,. Admit air on favour¬ 
able occasions very carefully. This will ensure a sturdy growth. 
Bouvardias ought to be regularly pinched during their growing 
season. In about six weeks they ought to be ready for 48’s ; 
for this potting use two parts loam, one peat, and one leaf-soil, 
with sand and charcoal added sufficiently to keep the compost 
open and free. As soon as these are well filled with roots the 
strongest should be transferred into 8in. pots, and weaker into 
6in. or 7in., according to size of plant, using similar compost, 
with the addition of a little well-decayed sheep dung, making 
the compost rather rougher than previously. 
As previously stated, during the summer months they thrive 
well in cold frames, but in removing the plants care must 
be exercised so as to avoid any possible check to growth. When 
the plants are housed for winter’, a damp, stuffy atmosphere must 
be avoided, especially during a dull season, and great care 
exercised in watering and feeding. 
As the plants commence to form flower buds an occasional 
watering of weak liquid manure with soot water alternately will 
prove beneficial, and an occasional top-dressing of some ap¬ 
proved chemical manure as a change. With winter-flowering 
plants one cannot be too careful with manures, as in the ab¬ 
sence of sun and light the plants soon become too gross and pro¬ 
duce wood in abundance, which has a poor chance of becoming 
matured sufficiently for flowering. The varieties I find most 
uroductive are Jasminiflora, alba ornata, Alfred Neuner, 
Hogarth (scarlet), Maiden’s Blush, The Bride, President Cleve¬ 
land, and Dazzle. J- T. D. 
Yorks. 
The Single Chrysanthemums. 
Not the least conspicuous feature of the recent great show at 
tire Crystal Palace were the numerous vases of single Chrysan¬ 
themums. Since the variety Miss Mary Anderson was intro¬ 
duced, and hailed with appreciation by a certain minority of 
’Mum enthusiasts, raisers—to their credit—have made marked 
advances both in form and variety of good and clear distinct 
colours. As a matter of fact, this type in point of colour equals 
if not excels the double forms. That, however, is a side ques¬ 
tion, for there is room ample enough for all types, and although 
each form seems to have its own circle of admirers, there is no 
just cause for those rather fierce partisan remarks one sometimes 
hears or reads in one or other of the gardening journals. 
Consequent upon having the privilege of being associated with 
wlrat might be termed an up-to-date collection brought together 
from all sources, I purpose referring somewhat succinctly to those 
varieties most distinct, to which I shall add one or two noticed 
at the Crystal Palace as being promising sorts to grow in the 
near future. Star is one of the prettiest of white varieties, pro¬ 
ducing elegant sprays of good-sized flowers. Grace is somewhat 
similar, and is equally good ; La Neige and Oxeye are also pure 
white, the latter belonging to the small-flowered section. Pet 
another which deserves attention is Miss King. 
The most distinct rich yellow is Sir Geo. Bullough ; its stiff 
branching habit renders it most useful for cutting or decorative 
purposes. Others of a like colour are Sunlight, Buff Queen, 
Pretoria, Miranda, and Portia, the three first-named being large, 
and the two latter of medium size. From a number of crimson 
varieties I shall select Belle of Weybridge, Tire Queen (extra 
large), Marion Gower, Lucius, and Miss Sydenham ; and, as 
being the best of numerous varieties of pink shades, the fol¬ 
lowing are submitted : Miss Jessie Dean, undoubtedly the very 
best and richest rosy-pink to date, each spray yielding quite a 
dozen perfect blossoms. Others are Glorious, F. W. Smith, 
Brutus, Rosalind, and The Fairy. 
Meritorious varieties that are best described as blush-pinks 
are Mrs. C. Symms, the florets of which recurve, and thus show 
to advantage the well-formed disc, Princess, Gem, and Cecilia. 
Unlike any other variety in colour is one named Mr. Will Jor¬ 
dan, being of a rich rosy-amaranth, with a distinct white nng 
surrounding the bold yellow disc. Sylvia and Rival are, per¬ 
haps, the best of bronzy-reds of the finest form. 
Tire method of culture that is favoured personally is to strike 
the cuttings early in the year, and to stop or pinch twice or 
three times before July, then allowing the majority to grow 
and blossom at their own sweet will, as the practice of disbud¬ 
ding this type of Chrysanthemum seems questionable. A few 
varieties of the largest type so treated may, and do, certainly 
produce a small number of handsome flowers, but for or dinar} 
cuttino- purposes, to fill glasses or vases in the home, there can 
be nothing prettier or more effective than the undrsbudded 
sprays ; and, after all, nearly the whole of the above-mentioned 
varieties are capable of yielding from eight to twelve blooms per 
shoot, quite 2 in. in diameter—large enough, perhaps, tor the 
Generality of lovers of single Chrysanthemums. H. J. G. 
Chrysanthemums at the Handicrafts.— For some time past a 
fine display of Chrysanthemums has been on view at the school 
of Handicrafts, Chertsey. Notable amongst them were the green 
one, Mme. Rogers, Phoebus, Charwood, Mafekmg Hero, Miili- 
cent Richardson, Source d’Or, and many others. All were taste¬ 
fully arranged, and, being grown to great perfection, they har e 
afforded a useful object lesson to tire people of Chertsey. All 
the plants are massed in one of the houses. lor this dispiay 
Great credit is due to Mr. A. J. Brown, of the school farm and 
./-I nnrl 4-rv 1\/Tr> T'JTYYOQ 
The prize last week in the Readers Competition was 
awarded to “ Japonica ” for his article on “ Two Useful 
and Pretty Stove Plants,” page 987. 
